Eighty-year-old Jim Chilcutt has enjoyed gardening throughout his life, but living in a small Jefferson City condo has made it more challenging for him.
"It's difficult for a gardener living in a condo," where there are common spaces and not much room to grow your own flowers and plants, Chilcutt said.
However, a little imagination and creativity have let Chilcutt make even his limited outdoor space pleasant and artistic.
"It's always possible to grow flowers, even in a small place," Chilcutt said.
While simple flower pots inside the house could be a nice compromise for those yearning to put their green thumbs to work in a small space, Chilcutt said there are other ways.
As in Chilcutt's garden, a hole in a decorative rock in a flowerbed could be the right place for some small flowers or flat-growing plants like hens and chicks that do not need much water. And a small, metal tank could be the perfect habitat for a papyrus plant.
Chilcutt links his passion to flowers with extensive knowledge; he completed Master Gardener training several years ago.
A woman in one of those classes once told him, "Before you plant that tree you need to put in your garden fun things," he said, noting many people use decorative items like statues. "I don't like them. I use a lot of rocks, though, that are natural," he added.
Chilcutt accomplishes a balance between different types of plants around his front door. Beside some shade plants, he planted a dogwood tree. Shade flowers surround the house, and the wall overlooking the garden is covered in ivy.
Under a porch, shade plants, flowers, decorative elements like a small fountain, and even tomato plants are mixed together. Behind them, hanging by twine ropes, tiny pots display orchids.
Orchids need a lot of care, and they grow with warm weather. During the summer they can be kept outside, on a porch or in the backyard, even with shadows, but they take extra care in winter.
"During the summer I bring them in the porch, and in winter, I have a room in the basement with a timer. It's my greenhouse during the winter," he said.
Chilcutt's love for flowers is mostly focused on spring flower bulbs, dahlias and shade plants such as rhododendrons, azaleas and roses.
"I like roses. But they're difficult to grow in Jeff City, because they tend to attract bugs," Chilcutt said. "They take a lot of attention. I have two or three roses here, but it's time-consuming."
Decorating a yard with flowers requires commitment and patience, regardless of the size of the yard.
"When people decide to have a garden, they need to plan in advance," Chilcutt said. "If you are artistic, you can draw. I can visualize the position, the color, instead."
You also need to choose plants well suited to grow in the available space.
"In this condo, we don't have a lot of yard. My flowers are small. The temptation is to have too many plants, which are too much," Chilcutt said. "The most important thing is to have the proper home for your plants."
You also have to be mindful of what your flowers need, which can mean providing it if it's not already in your yard.
"If they need sand, they have to grow in sand," Chilcutt said.
Setting up your garden as you like it is only the beginning. A good garden, no matter its size, requires upkeep.
"After you have planted them, they should be watered, fertilized," Chilcutt said.